Bond Light
by dragonflight
Summary: An answer to Megan Andres's Challenge # 3... Lily and James: fluffy in the beginningbut gets serious in the end... Just me working out some of my small writers block!!


"I'm home!" James called as he slammed the door shut, wincing as some paint fell from the wall above his head. He glanced around the empty room that was serving as their temporary den and decided that they desperately needed to clean house. They were temporarily living in the ranch-style house bequeathed to them by Lily's parents when her mother died a month ago, and they had still not unpacked their boxes, which were stacked messily on top of one another, magic the only thing keeping them from spilling across the floor.  
  
He placed his cloak on a coat hanger by the door and walked a bit further into the room.  
  
James had to admit that he would like to find another house soon, if only to have more space for the many children they were planning on having. Lily was six months pregnant with their first, who James hoped was a girl, and they did not at this time have a nursery for the little boy or girl...  
  
"Welcome home, Jimmy," a soft female voice called from the next room over, and Lily floated into view, their first unborn child creating a pleasant lump. He pulled her to him, and her smile was genuine.  
  
"Sirius is coming over later," she reminded him, casting a glance at the boxes beside them.   
  
"He won't care that it's messy in here," James said.  
  
"He will when he finds that we have no place to sit," she giggled, motioning to a couch that had been covered with boxes so much that it was sagging in the middle.  
  
"I thought he'd be more worried if he found out that we have no more butterbeer," James laughed, and she looked up at him with wide eyes.   
  
"He'd denounce your friendship on the spot! Did you remember to pick some up?"  
  
"Of course," he said, and reached back into his cloak to pull out two bottles. "And I remembered that your birthday is tomorrow, m'dear," he continued, showing her the second slightly smaller bottle.  
  
"James!" she breathed, "Do we have enough money for this?"  
  
"Come now, darling, what's a few Sickles to you?"  
  
"You got this cherry wine for a few Sickles?"  
  
"I talked the owner into giving it to me for that price."  
  
"Oh, James," she sighed, tossing her arms around his neck, "I love you!"  
  
"You only love me for my cherry wine?" He laughed, maneuvering her into their kitchen to put one of the bottles into their quaint Muggle fridge. He pulled out two glasses and quickly toasted her, and she accepted the second glass, clinking it against his.  
  
"Of course, dear," she grinned, pulling her wand out from its customary position holding her hair up in a makeshift bun. It cascaded down to the middle of her back, brilliant red in color and incredibly bouncy for its length.  
  
She set the stove to light with her wand and asked, "What do you want for supper?"  
  
"Hmm," he said, but was interrupted by a knock on the door.  
  
Her smile was immediately shattered into a concerned frown. She always got a little nervous when the door was knocked, and he had never found out why. Not for lack of questioning; he had to assume that she had about as much of a clue at her sudden anxiety as he did.  
  
However, on this night James knew who was at the door, and kissing her on the forehead, he said, "I'll be right back." He always kissed her before he went to get the door, as a silent promise that whatever was at the door would bring him back to her safely.  
  
He opened the door and jumped when the three shadowy figures perched on the stoop yelled, "Surprise!" and barreled their way inside.  
  
James laughed merrily and shut the door firmly behind them; Sirius, Remus and Peter uncloaked themselves and pranced into the kitchen, singing the Muggle Birthday song horribly out of tune.  
  
James stood in the doorway to the kitchen and leaned against the doorjamb, watching all four of his childhood friends. The three "Marauders" had created a small circle around Lily, who had a broad grin on her face. As Sirius made a cake appear out of no where, Lily laughed and smiled all the harder.   
  
The friends stopped circling and with a wave of his wand, Remus had set the candles aflame, all twenty-two of them.   
  
"Make a wish," Peter cried, smiling at Lily with quiet admiration.   
  
She closed her eyes and concentrated hard, and then opened them and blew out all except one candle with a single blow. Sirius reached across and pinched the end of the candle before Lily could rearm herself for another blow, and the flame went out.  
  
"What did you wish for?" James asked, knowing full well that she wasn't supposed to tell him.   
  
"Hmm, you'll find out eventually," she teased, watching with bright green eyes as Remus and Peter went about pulling out the candles.   
  
Remus was looking extremely healthy, his brown hair glinting from the ceiling light. His brown eyes glinted with some unhappy thought that perplexed him for a moment, and then faded. James realized belatedly how large the moon had been, and remembered with a little grief that his friend was due to change soon.  
  
Peter, although short in stature, made up for it in width. He was a plump little man, a jolly fellow whom the other three loved dearly. He had been the quietest of their group, but still, he had a stout heart and a knack for finding trouble, which made him perfect for their mismatched group.  
  
Sirius's black hair stuck out every which way, dark curls the only aspect differentiating it from James' own unruly hair. Sirius' beady black eyes made him appear sneaky and hardly intelligent, but James knew better. His best friend always came up with the most bogus plans, but what was even better about them was that they worked...  
  
And there was Lily... his childhood sweetheart, whom he had adored since he had first set eyes on her in their third year...   
  
He came behind her and wrapped his arms about her stomach, feeling the baby's slight kick as he did so.   
  
"My little daughter is hurting me already," he joked with Lily, and she rolled her eyes.   
  
"Who says it's going to be a daughter?" She asked, tapping James on the nose as his head came up over her shoulder.  
  
"I do," James responded easily.  
  
"Mm hmm," she hummed, placing her hands over his and swaying.  
  
"And I say that if it's a girl, I'm going to name her Ashleigh," he continued.  
  
"And if it's a boy, I'm going to name it Harry."  
  
"Fair deal. But it's going to be a girl." It had been an ongoing argument between them for the past three months; James had always wanted Asheigh, and likewise Lily had always wanted Harry.  
  
"James," she sighed tolerantly, like a exasperated mother reprimanding her child.  
  
"Would you two stop flirting for just a moment so she can cut the cake?" Sirius cut in, rolling his eyes at their childishness.  
  
"They're never going to grow up," Remus muttered out of the corner of his mouth, eyes twinkling.  
  
"Reality will hit us after our daughter--"  
  
"Our child," Lily amended.  
  
"--Is born, and we have to clean diapers all the time..."  
  
"I'm glad I'm not married," Peter piped up, making the other two bachelors cheer.  
  
"Never surrender, that's the spirit!" Remus cried.  
  
"It's all right, you three will just have to help us with our child," James said with a wink to his wife.  
  
They went silent at this, and several moments passed without words.  
  
"Actually, I'd rather like to settle down and start a family," Remus said, his even teeth showing in his smile.  
  
"Can we hurry up and cut the cake?" Sirius asked, and his stomach growled in consensus with his idea. "Do you have butterbeer, James?"  
  
"In the fridge," James said, and moved the cake to the table at the other end of the kitchen so Lily could cut it.  
  
"It's too bad Severus couldn't make it," Lily voiced after cutting the first slice into the cake.  
  
Sirius nearly dropped one of the glasses he was holding; only a lucky dive by Peter saved the cup from breaking.  
  
"Why do you say that?" Sirius demanded. "Who asked him if he wanted to come?"  
  
Lily looked hurt, and paused in the middle of cutting the second slice.  
  
"I did," Remus spoke up, and quickly defended by saying, "I know that he and Lily are friends, and I knew she would want him to be here."  
James and Sirius exchanged glances; they had both agreed not to tell Lily about the incident with Snape... Partially because James knew that Lily liked Snape as a friend, and partially because Sirius had begged James to keep it a secret.   
  
She handed the first slice to James, who turned it back, saying, "It's your birthday, not mine!"  
  
James cut pieces for the rest of their small group and led them into the "den." With a flick of his wand, he moved the things from atop of the couch and placed them in the middle of the floor, to serve as rough tables to put their plates and cups upon.   
  
They made small talk for almost fifteen minutes, while they finished the cake, and then James brought the conversations to an end by pulling out a small parcel from a hidden pocket and handing it to Lily.  
  
She looked at it for a moment before slowly, carefully, opening it. It was a small emerald green velvet box, with hinges along one side. She cracked it open and smiled at the pendant hanging inside; it was a delicate silver stag, with tiny emeralds as eyes. On the same chain was a half-inch white water lily, delicate petals spread. "Lily and James," was written on the back of the stag when she turned it over, and she flung her arms around his neck with gratitude. He then turned her around and tied the chain around her neck.  
  
Remus brought out his present next; he had actually gotten something for the new baby, but Lily instantly loved it.   
  
It was a floppy bunny, soft velvety fur a shade of emerald that matched their eyes so well. "This is for Harry," Lily proclaimed loudly, holding it up and smiling at it.  
  
"You mean Ashleigh," James stated.   
  
She sighed and amended tolerantly, "For the baby."  
  
Peter cleared his throat and uncovered a rather large box in the corner of the living room. The box looked to be covered by James' invisibility cloak, and what made Lily laugh was the fact that this present had probably been hiding in her house the entire time. The box had air holes, making her extremely nervous about it. James remembered the last time she had received a package like this; it had been a baby dragon intent on burning her hair off...  
  
"Should I be worried?" She asked James and Peter; James laughed and Peter shook his head, a slight smile touching his mouth.  
  
Lily reached out and pulled at the ribbon wrapped around the box, and it fell in a crude pile beside the box. She opened the box and brought out...  
  
A small German Shepherd puppy, splotched brownish-red and black. Its large blue eyes blinked calmly and its tongue hung down out of its mouth, panting slightly.  
  
"Oh," Lily crooned, and James knew that his wife loved it.   
  
"Is it a boy or a girl?" James asked Peter.  
  
"It's a girl."  
  
"What can we call her?" Lily asked, looking up at James with a knowing smile. Knowing, because she knew that James was not fond of animals of any kind. The dog was going to be the lady's dog, that was for sure.  
  
"It's your dog, you name her."  
  
"What do you think of 'Marauder'?" She asked slowly, and James burst out laughing at that prospect. The other three chuckled, and Remus reached out and petted the animal affectionately.  
  
Sirius brought out a plain brown box and handed it to Lily wordlessly, a smirk playing on his mouth. She accepted it, looking at it cautiously. Marauder reached up and batted at it, and Lily brought it to her face and sniffed it cautiously.  
  
"I promise it won't blow up in your face, Lily," Sirius teased.  
  
"Let me see both hands as you say it again," she teased, making sure that he wasn't hiding crossed fingers behind his back. He obliged her, and she tore open the wrapping quickly. And opened the nondescript box carefully.  
  
In the box lay a jug of some kind, labeled "Eclipse."  
  
"I went all the way out to the States to retrieve this for you," Sirius stated. "I met a bloke named Jerrison, who showed me around New England. People who live in Rhode Island have the strangest accents... It was hard to understand Jerrison, although he claimed he was talking slow for my benefit." Indicating the box of chocolates, he continued, "Eclipse coffee syrup is a favorite among the Rhode Islanders, or so I was told."  
  
"What do you do with it?" Lily asked.  
  
"You pour it into milk and mix it in." Sirius took it and went into the kitchen; he came back presently with a cup of slightly brown milk. "Taste this," he offered to Lily.  
  
She took a sip and sighed delightedly. "It's just like coffee, only sweeter!"  
  
She handed the glass around and everyone had a sip.  
  
After another hour of talking joking and consuming food and drink, the three Marauders took leave of the happy couple.  
  
"Enjoy your birthday," Remus said with a smile as he pulled his cloak about his shoulders. Sirius kissed Lily on the cheek and Peter insisted on coming over and making preparations on the baby's room the instant they moved out of this stuffy apartment. With a swish of cloak and a flash of Apparation, the three were gone, leaving James and Lily alone standing on their porch.  
  
"I love them all," she said, and James could see a lone tear streak down her cheek.  
  
"And I love you," he murmured in her ear, drawing her close.  
  
"It's too bad Sev couldn't come," she said, and James sighed inwardly. He had never, and would probably never, understand their friendship in the midst of all of the Marauders. After all, they had taunted Severus for being different so many times; it must have broken his heart for Lily to marry James...  
  
"I'll be inside if you need me," he said, turning and tending to the dog.  
  
***  
  
Lily waited out on the porch, hoping and praying that he wouldn't forget... Their friendship, their bond, deeper than ever, dormant after so many years of vibrancy...  
  
The bond had been put in place when they were little children, in hopes of redeeming a lost line of descendants... Severus' ancestor, Marcus Snape, had originally been placed in Gryffindor, and from there, all of his ancestors had migrated toward Slytherin's views on the Muggle world. The "higher Wizards" had decided to link Lily with Severus when they were young, in the hopes that they could soften his heart, turn him away from the darker path...  
  
If it had succeeded, she did not know. Severus was still cruel to James and Sirius and their friends, but he was nice to Lily. The bond had brought the unlikely out of each of them; Lily had leaned how to hate, and Severus had learned how to love. The true way to tell if the bond had worked was to see if he hated more or loved more... Time would tell.  
  
A lone owl fluttered across the night sky, its eyes glowing in the darkness. It floated on an indirect path, but Lily's heart soared. She knew it was from Severus. He remembered...  
  
The owl was a dark barn owl, his soft green eyes glowing in the darkness as he landed on her outstretched hand. He hooted softly and extended his leg, showing her a large roll of parchment, which she took eagerly.   
  
She opened it, read it quickly once, and then read it slower, savoring the tender script written by Snape's hand. He had not forgotten, and it was enough.  
  
It was enough.  
  
She went back inside, retreating from the chill of the night.  
  
  
  
A/N: It started off as just a light fluffy sort of happiness, to balance off my "serious" works, but look where it ended...   
My apologies for adding in a bit of Rhode Island humor...   
Please don't read anything into the Lily/ Snape correspondence; Lily loves James and is friends with Severus, their bond makes them more than friends, but more like close confidants...   
The implications that Snape's ancestry was originally placed in Gryffindor will be expanded further in Founder's Legacy, a story I have in my mind... I'm trying to get it onto paper but it's taking time to work my ideas in a manageable fashion...   
Hope you enjoyed this, please R&R! 


End file.
